Just Fine
by LifesDarkFire
Summary: Hermione reflects back on how she and Severus met,and how their relationship blossomed: "Severus.' I whispered, the name fell softly off of my tongue, rolled into the heavy silence between us, and broke something I didn't know needed breaking."


Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, I'm just borrowing them to play pretend.

A/N: Italics stands for a memory. Non-Italics stand for the present.

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><p><em><strong>Just Fine<strong>_

I woke up to an empty bed, and a pillow drenched in sweat.

Fumbling for my wand I tripped on the bed sheet that had become entwined around my ankle during the night, reeling I caught myself quickly upon the door frame as my hair tumbled down in a cascade of turbulent curls. I flung it back and caught my breath slowly as I studied the violent contrast between my pale shaking hands and the dark wood they grasped. I glanced back to the empty bed I had just vacated, raised my wand higher, and ran from the room.

Thick carpet swallowed my feet whole, I stumbled and a sob broke loose from my throat as I slammed my shoulder into the wall to prevent myself from falling. Slowly I pushed myself up, clutching my now bruised shoulder and pushed onward. There was only one driving force, only one reason; one consistent urge that caused my heart to hit hard against my rib cage in a splintering rhythm.

_It was midday, early spring; I was twenty-six, and world weary. I had ducked into the first muggle shop I could find, to get away from the crowds, to get away from my memories. The windows were clouded over with dust and age, grime so thick that light barely flickered through, and the small rays that did seemed to magnify the dust motes that swirled with every harsh breath I drew. I was reaching for a copy of Jane Eyre when the thump of falling books made me turn my head, and there he was, bent over, hands splayed, reaching through a puff of dust for the books that had eluded him. My breath caught deep inside my throat as I backed myself against the bookshelf, pulse beating, adrenaline causing my world to spin out of control, I closed my eyes tightly, breathed slowly in through my nose and out through my mouth. _

_That was how he found me, back pressed into a dozen hard back classics, eyes closed, and breath erratic. _

"_Miss. Granger." His voice rumbled, "Are you alright?"_

"_No." I whispered. Slowly I opened an eye and his face came into view, I swallowed hard to keep from gasping, his hair was cut short, the very top of it seemed tousled as if he had raked his hand through it in frustration and the very tips curled slightly over the collar of his white button up shirt. I directed my gaze to just above his right ear, and slowly slid my eyes across his face, which was relaxed except for a small crease in between his eyebrows. I bit my lip hard as I fought the urge to press my lips to that crease, ease it out of existence, and then follow along the bridge of his nose to his lips, which were slightly parted and newly moistened by the tip of his tongue. _

"_Do you feel faint? Do you need to sit down?" He asked in barely a whisper. His breath ruffled the wisps of hair by my ear, and sent a shiver down my spine. His hand reached forward, in between the one foot gap that separated our bodies, and laid itself against my forehead. I bit my lip harder, and tasted blood. _

"_N-no." I choked out, and darted my tongue out to soothe the cut my incisor had made, I watched as his eyes followed the movement closely and locked themselves on my lips. He let out a ragged sigh, withdrew his hand from my forehead and raked it through his hair. _

"_Come Miss. Granger I know you're capable of speech, if I remember correctly it was getting you to stop talking that was the chore." _

"_I-I know how to speak, and I'm fine." I jutted my chin forward, our eyes locked, and I discovered his eyes were a dark, dark shade of hazel. _

"_Good, it's good to know," he paused, his eyes broke away from mine to linger on my parted lips, "that you are fine."_

"_And you sir? Are you fine?"_

"_Severus, Miss. Granger, please, just call me Severus." _

"_Severus." I whispered, the name fell softly off of my tongue, rolled into the heavy silence between us, and broke something I didn't know needed breaking. _

"_Call me-"he cut me off before I could finish and whispered my name, softly, sweetly into my ear, "Hermione."_

_Suddenly we were pushing towards each other, grasping one another, our lips met hesitantly, softly, testing each other as we pushed closer, fingers digging into fabric, he buried his head into the crook of my neck and whispered my name again, causing the hairs to rise on the back of my neck in pleasure. _

"_Is this fine too?"_

"_It's fine Severus, just fine."_

Trying to find my way in the pale light of lumos, I reached out with my free hand and traced it against the wall nearest to me, and slowly made my way down the dark corridor. My breath came quickly and sweat began to slowly roll down from my forehead, I had to find him, I had to.

_Three months passed since that spring day, when I clung so desperately to him, gulping down air between our clumsy kisses. Three months passed and I found myself entwined within his arms, as sunlight slowly flickered in through one of my open windows, warming the bed we slept upon. I found myself, more often than not, in his arms on nights when memories grew too strong and the stench of death seemed to follow me. There was nothing to our relationship at first; we were two broken people, scared of our shadows and the scars on our bodies. But, despite this, somehow, we fit together, like two puzzle pieces our faults melded until we formed one perfect piece. _

_I told him that, as we lay there, warming slowly in the sunlight. He dragged his hand through my messy curls and laughed, I smiled as the vibrations of it swept through me from where I rested my head against his chest. _

"_I suppose we do." He decided, his voice groggy with sleep. "Although I think I provide the faults and you the perfection." _

_I slipped my arm around his chest as he lifted his left arm upwards, and we both eyed the grey markings that clung to his forearm. He shuddered and let his arm fall back down, creating a soft thump against the mattress. I lifted my head up from his chest so I could look him directly in the eye, but he was looking away from me towards the window where a light breeze ruffled the white lace curtains that hung there. _

"_Severus."_

"_Yes?"_

"_Look at me."_

"_It's a lovely day out Hermione."  
><em>

"_I don't give a damn about the day Severus." _

_He turned his head to me then, "What do you give a damn about Hermione?" He reached his hand up slowly to tuck a curl behind my ear, "I desperately want to know." He sighed and dropped his hand to my shoulder and slowly traced the spaghetti strap of my tank top. "What?"_

_I pushed myself up; bracing all of my weight on my left arm I lifted my right hand and placed it on his chest, right above his heart. "You."_

"_Me." He stated, running his hand down my left arm, creating a line of delicious goose bumps. "Hermione Jean Granger gives a damn about me." _

"_Yes. Hermione Jean Granger gives a damn about Severus Tobias Snape. Is that fine by you?"_

"_Oh yes, Hermione. Just fine." He whispered as he pulled my left arm out from under me and I came collapsing down on top of his laughing form. _

My hand met air and I paused, lifting my wand higher I tried to make out my surroundings, but everything was foreign to me. I rubbed at my eyes furiously, cursed and wondered why we had to move into a new house, why I couldn't find him, I needed to find him.

_One year since our first meeting in the bookstore he came to me, a suitcase in hand and whispered, "I'm leaving."_

_I turned to him and smiled, "Where you going? When will you be back?"_

"_I don't know where I'm going but," he raked his hand through his hair, a nervous habit I had learned to love, "Hermione, I'm not coming back."_

_The bowl of strawberries I had been holding, carrying to the small table outside that was outlined by the setting sun, fell out of my hands, crashed upon the floor and echoed in the silence that stood like a canyon between us. _

"_Why?" I questioned the broken bowl, holding my hands clenched in fists at my sides. _

"_Hermione." He murmured._

_I spun towards him, tears blurring the image of him, until he was just a black outline. "I asked why Severus."_

"_Hermione this," he shuffled his hands before him awkwardly, "this, thing that we have, you deserve so much better than me. Don't you see Hermione? You deserve someone who can give you everything, no strings attached, no emotional baggage, no dark mark."_

"_Why does that matter to you? Why does that-that mark matter so much Severus?" I spat out as tears began to leak from the corners of my eyes. I stepped forward, pieces of broken ceramic splintering beneath my weight, I grabbed his left hand and pushed his sleeve up. _

_He gasped, and tried to pull his hand out of mine but I held firm, reached out with a trembling finger and carefully traced the faded mark. "It's only a scar Severus, only a scar. This," I pressed my finger down, "does not dictate who you are."_

"_Hermione, I'm-"_

"_I'm not finished!" I shouted lifting my tear filled eyes to his; I let his left arm go and brought my fingers up to cup his cheek. "Don't you think I realized what I was getting myself into? Don't you think I've thought long and hard about staying with you, living with you?" _

"_I didn't think-"_

"_That's right," I cut in, "you didn't think!"_

_His mouth turned up at the corners and he pressed a kiss into my palm. "Why do you have to make it seem so simple, this right and wrong business, forgiveness and reformation?"_

"_I don't see why you haven't seen why it's so simple for me."_

"_Why is it so simple for you?" he mumbled into my hand, his breath sending shivers up my arm and down my back._

"_Because," I swallowed hard, "I love you."_

_His eyes shot open and connected with mine, I moved to pull my hand away but he caught it in his own and pressed it still against his cheek. With his other hand, which trembled slightly, he stroked my cheek and finally let it rest on the base of my neck. We stood silent, for what seemed like eternity, gazing into each other's eyes until he laughed a full, rich baritone laugh which filled my belly with a heat stronger then fire whiskey. _

"_You- you wonderful creature you," he murmured against my palm as he pressed a dozen kisses into it. "You love me? You love me." _

"_Severus?" _

"_Hermione, my Hermione." He looked down at me and slowly cupped my face within both of his hands, he brought my face upwards to his and just before our lips collided he whispered three words against my sealed lips._

"_I love you."_

_Hours later, as the moon strained into our room, and hit our tangled limbs I turned into him and pushed a strand of hair out of his eyes. _

"_How is this thing that we have Severus?" _

"_Just fine." He sighed into my hair as he pulled me closer._

I hit the bottom of the stairs and tucked an errant curl behind my ear, I thrust my wand out into the darkness before me, two doors loomed out of the darkness, two chances to take, two more steps closer to finding where he was.

_Two years after our first encounter I stood nervously fingering my veil, outside of a small chapel. Perspiration was accumulating on my palms, making them clammy, and I turned to grab another tissue to wipe it away. _

_My father smiled at me, and placed a steady hand upon my shoulder his warmth penetrating through the thin lace fabric of my gown. I gave him a nervous smile and jumped when the doors to the chapel opened revealing a soft aria played by a lone piano. _

_I took a breath, tossed my wad of tissues away and gripped my bouquet of wildflowers tightly. My father offered me his arm, and I took it, pressing my hand down hard against his arm to stop it from trembling. As we began the slow walk down the aisle I heard the church pews groan as weight was lifted off of them, but I only had eyes for the man at the end of the aisle. His hair was slightly tousled, probably from one final nervous raking of his hand, I saw as his mouth turn up at the corners at the sight of me and our eyes locked. _

_I watched his eyes the whole ceremony, I watched as they would darken and lighten depending on the flickering candlelight, how they widened as my 'I do' rang through the small chapel, and how they danced when it was announced that he could kiss his bride. As his head dipped towards mine, he smiled, and when his lips touched mine I could feel the weight of a thousand I love yous waiting on the tips of our tongues. _

"_Let's skip out." He murmured into my hair, as he pulled me closer to his body and slowly swayed us across the dance floor._

"_Severus, it's our first dance we can't leave now."_

"_I beg to differ." He brushed his lips against the shell of my ear, "Say the word, and I can have us apparated back home and we can be away from the world for three whole weeks."_

"_Not yet Severus, we have to stay for our guests!" _

"_Alright, but promise we can leave soon."_

"_Fine Severus we can leave soon."_

"_Is this fine Mrs. Snape?"_

"_Just fine, Severus, just fine."_

I opened the first door, and was accosted by silence, and an empty room. Cardboard boxes were stacked ceiling high, pieces of furniture were cloaked in huge sheets, and I bit back a scream of frustration. I retraced my steps and stood before the last door, I had to find him here, I needed to find him!

_On year after our wedding day I woke up in a panic, "Severus?"_

"_Severus are you awake?"_

"_I am now." His voice, groggy from sleep, murmured into my ear. He tightened his hold around my middle, and sighed contentedly into my ear, "Go back to sleep Hermione. It's too early."_

"_I can't." _

_He nestled his face closer to mine, "Try."_

"_Severus, I think I'm in going into labor."_

_His hands flew away from my middle, and placed them on both sides of my face; he looked into my eyes, and then began to rain kisses down upon it. _

"_Severus." I whispered, as his lips met mine once more, "We need to get to St. Mungo's or I will be giving birth here."_

"_He's got your eyes." I whispered over the head of the newly born Henry Snape. I stroked the top of his head gently, memorizing every feature of the auburn hair. _

"_My eyes, your nose, and your lips." He whispered softly into my ear, and covered my hand with his own and we both sat in silence watching our son squint against the harsh lights, as he sucked hard on his tiny fist. _

"_Do you think we'll be good parents Severus?"_

"_We'll do just fine Hermione, just fine."_

I pushed the door open slowly, and sighed when I saw the faint flickering of a lit candle, he was slouched in an armchair, his arms cradling our son gently upon his chest as both of them breathed together in harmony. I gently maneuvered my way around cardboard boxes stocked with plates, and cups, until I stood before the two men in my life and smiled. I bent down and kissed them both on their foreheads, the ache within my heart quieted to a small murmur.

His eyes flickered open slowly, and caught mine, the corner of his lips upturned in a smile. "What are you doing up?"

"Looking for you, I woke up and you and Henry weren't in the bedroom."

"Yes, well, Henry started to fuss. I figured you needed the sleep."

"Come on Severus," I held out my hand, "let's go back to bed."

He reached up and took my hand, turned it over and slowly kissed the middle of my palm, "Life is fine isn't it Hermione?"

"Life is fine Severus, just fine."

**The End**

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><p>AN: Thanks to the wonderful reviews I recieved on my first HG/SS story Sweet Water, I decided to give it a go with another one shot. This is my second story in this fandom so forgive any errors, I will improve with time. If you enjoyed the story please leave a review they really encourage me to explore more with this couple.


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